Translating Patty Murray's briefing

12/6/11 5:55 PM EST

Flanked by three female Senate recruits, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chair Patty Murray predicted Tuesday that Democrats would make the 2012 cycle a historic year for women.

Nevada Rep. Shelley Berkley, Hawaii Rep. Mazie Hirono and Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin were all showcased at the DSCC press briefing, each allotted time to lay out their personal biographies and highlight unique qualities they bring to the race as females.

But when it was Murray's chance to field questions, she mostly exercised a prevent defense strategy, playing it safe by couching her answers and not offering much up in terms of news.

As a result, the time seemed ripe to utilize a POLITICO favorite -- the dissection of what Murray said and what she really meant.

New Mexico Senate

What Murray Said: "As you know we recruited Rep. Heinrich, he's doing a great job. We have not endorsed in that race. But I think he's doing really great and look forward to supporting him."

What She Meant: The DSCC is with Heinrich. There isn't a sitting member of Congress they aren't supporting. But it doesn't want to fan flames and upset Hispanics, who are hoping to nominate State Auditor Hector Balderas. Using the word "recruited" rather than support is semantics but it provides some space to avoid a headline that could upset locals.

Nebraska Senate

What Murray Said: "[Ben] is a fighter. He really knows his state and understands his state. Obviously he's going to be deciding here in the next few weeks whether he's going to run or not. He's got a tremendous amount of encouragement from our caucus and from our people from both sides of the aisle."

What She Meant: That 'no more retirements' statement she made earlier this year is no longer applicable. There's now a real sense Sen. Ben Nelson could decide to throw in the towel, but it's likely the DSCC is just as much in the dark as the rest of us. Murray didn't offer a contingency plan if Nelson quits, but the bench in Nebraska doesn't seem to be deep for Democrats.

Missouri Senate

What Murray Said: "Claire knows her state. She knows when to stand with the president and she knows when to say 'this is not right for my state.'"

What She Meant: McCaskill should go near President Obama only if absolutely necessary, meaning a big dollar fundraiser. Other than that, her messaging and charm is when she flashes her independence from her party. We not only expect her to do that, we hope she does. It's Missouri for gosh sakes.

Texas Senate

What Murray Said: "Texas is a large state and of course we have a Democratic candidate there and he's out working and we're following that race closely."

What She Meant: Likely not to draw audible laughs, which that response did. After being initially hailed as a pick-up opportunity, Texas is off the radar for Democrats. DSCC executive director Guy Cecil suggested as much last month. Murray didn't even mention Ricardo Sanchez's name.

Connecticut Senate

What Murray Said: "When we go out to talk to people in states, we look at who is the strongest candidate, who can win, who has the strongest support. And in that state Chris Murphy is just a great candidate and I expect him to win."

What She Meant: It's significant that even as the DSCC touts a 'year of the woman' meme, there's one female candidate who didn't make the cut: Susan Bysiewicz, a former Secretary of State who is the only person in the race who has previously won statewide. Does deference belong to Murphy because he's a congressman? Bysiewicz's camp doesn't seem to mind. It gives them the "outsider" label that's so en vogue. "We have no problem not being accepted by the party," campaign manager Jonathan Ducote tells POLITICO. "If you look at Susan's record she has never been a favorite of insiders in Hartford either. It is because she has taken on tough fights."